The Usefulness of ApneaLinkTM as a Screening Test for Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background and Objective To investigate the usefulness of ApneaLinkTM as a screening test for obstructive sleep apnea by analyzing the correlation between ApneaLinkTM and polysomnography (PSG).Methods From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020, patients who visited the sleep clinic with snoring, sleep apnea, and excessive daytime sleepiness at the otolaryngology department of this hospital were subjected to both standard sleep PSG and ApneaLinkTM. Correlations of Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) in standard PSG with AHI and Risk Indicator (RI) in ApneaLinkTM were investigated. To determine the usefulness of ApneaLinkTM as a screening test for patients with moderate or severe sleep apnea, cut-off values of AHI and RI of ApneaLinkTM were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results The correlation coefficient between AHI in PSG and AHI or RI in ApneaLinkTM was both 0.647, showing a high positive correlation. The correlation coefficient between RDI in PSG and AHI or RI in ApneaLinkTM was both 0.637, showing a high positive correlation. When the cut-off value of AHI with the ApneaLinkTM test was 19.0, it showed a sensitivity of 76.29% and a specificity of 78.95%, which could be expected to produce more than 15 of RDI in PSG.Conclusions Through this study, it was found that ApneaLinkTM could be used as a screeningtest for obstructive sleep apnea.